Dorner's drivers license found in burned rubble of cabin, along with a charred body

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) -- Police scoured mountain peaks for days, using everything from bloodhounds to high-tech helicopters in their manhunt for a revenge-seeking ex-cop. They had no idea he was hiding among them, possibly holed up in a vacation cabin across the street from their command post.

It was there that Christopher Dorner may have taken refuge last Thursday, four days after beginning a deadly rampage that would claim four lives.

The search ended Tuesday when a man believed to be Dorner bolted from hiding, stole two cars, barricaded himself in another vacant cabin miles away and mounted a last stand in a furious shootout in which he killed one sheriff's deputy and wounded another before the building erupted in flames.

He never emerged from the ruins, and hours later a charred body was found in the basement of the burned cabin along with a wallet and personal items, including a California driver's license with the name Christopher Dorner, an official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

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The coroner's office is studying the remains to positively determine the identity.

LAPD Lt. Andrew Neiman said Wednesday the department had returned to normal patrol operations, and about a dozen of the more than 50 protective details guarding possible Dorner targets will remain in place until the remains are positively identified.

"This really is not a celebration," he said.

Neiman would not answer any questions regarding what occurred in San Bernardino County, saying it was that jurisdiction's investigation.

LAPD officers used the Internet to monitor radio chatter during the firefight.

"It was horrifying to listen to that firefight and to hear those words. 'Officer down' is the most gut-wrenching experience that you can have as a police officer," Neiman said.

Dorner, 33, had said in a lengthy rant that police believe he posted on Facebook that he expected to die in one final, violent confrontation with police, and if it was him in the cabin that's what happened.

The apparent end came in the same mountain range where his trail went cold six days earlier, when his burning pickup truck -- with guns and camping gear inside -- was abandoned with a broken axle on a fire road in San Bernardino National Forest near the ski resort town of Big Bear Lake.

His footprints led away from the truck and vanished on frozen soil. Deputies searched door-to-door in the city of Big Bear Lake and then, despite a blinding snowstorm, SWAT teams focused on hundreds of vacant cabins in the forest outside of town.

With no sign of him and few leads, police offered a $1 million reward to bring him to justice and end a "reign of terror" that had more than 50 families of targeted Los Angeles police officers under round-the-clock protection after he threatened to bring "warfare" to the LAPD, officers and their kin.

Just a few hours after police announced Tuesday that they had fielded more than 1,000 tips with no sign of Dorner, word came that a man matching his description had tied up two people in a Big Bear Lake cabin, stole their car and fled. Authorities didn't immediately give more details on the two people.

Jay Hylton told KABC-TV that they were two of his relatives, a mother and daughter pair of housekeepers, who weren't hurt.

After the women surprised Dorner, he tied them up and fled in a purple Nissan, the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/XKkGt8) reported.

One maid eventually broke free and called 911, the newspaper said.

Game wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who were part of the search detail spotted the Nissan that had been reported stolen going in the opposite direction and gave chase, department spokesman Lt. Patrick Foy said. The driver looked like Dorner.

They lost the car after it passed a school bus and turned onto a side road, but two other Fish and Wildlife patrols turned up the road a short time later, and were searching for the car when a white pickup truck sped erratically toward them in the Seven Oaks area, about 30 miles down Highway 38 from Big Bear Lake.

"He took a close look at the driver and realized it was the suspect," Foy said.

Dorner, who allegedly stole the pickup truck at gunpoint after crashing the first car, rolled down a window and opened fire on the wardens, striking their truck more than a dozen times.

One of the wardens shot at the suspect as he rounded a curve in the road. It's unclear if he was hit, but the stolen pickup careened off the road and crashed in a snow bank.

The driver then ran to the cabin where he barricaded himself and got in a shootout with San Bernardino County deputies and other officers, two of whom were shot, one fatally.

A SWAT team surrounded the cabin and used an armored vehicle to break out the cabin windows, said a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. The officers then lobbed tear gas canisters into the cabin and blasted a message over a loudspeaker: "Surrender or come out."

The armored vehicle then tore down each of the cabin's four walls.

A single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, the law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Until Tuesday, authorities weren't sure Dorner was still in Big Bear Lake, where his pickup was found within walking distance from the cabin where he apparently hid.

Even door-to-door searches failed to turn up any trace of him in the quiet, bucolic neighborhood where children were playing in the snow Tuesday night.

With many searchers leaving town amid speculation Dorner was long gone, the command center across the street was taken down Monday.

Ron Erickson, whose house is only about quarter mile away, said officers interrogated him to make sure he wasn't being held hostage. Erickson himself had been keeping a nervous watch on his neighborhood, but he never saw the hulking Dorner.

"I looked at all the cabins that backed the national forest and I just didn't think to look at the one across from the command post," he said. "It didn't cross my mind. It just didn't."

Police said Dorner began his run on Feb. 6 after they connected the slayings of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance with his angry manifesto.

Dorner blamed former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan for providing poor representation before a police disciplinary board that fired him for filing a false report.

Dorner, who is black, claimed in his online rant that he was the subject of racism by the department and was targeted for doing the right thing.

Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed Dorner's allegations, said he would reopen the investigation into his firing -- not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which had a long fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.

Dorner vowed to get even with those who had wronged him as part of his plan to reclaim his good name.

"You're going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!" the rant said. "You have awoken a sleeping giant."

Within hours of being named as a suspect in the killings, the 6-foot, 270-pounder described as armed and "extremely dangerous," tried unsuccessfully to steal a boat in San Diego to flee to Mexico. After leaving a trail of evidence, he headed north where he opened fire on two patrol cars in Riverside County, shooting three officers and killing one.

With a description of his car broadcast all over the Southwest and Mexico, he managed to get to the mountains 80 miles east of Los Angeles where his burning truck was found.

He spent his final days with a front-row seat to the search mobilized right outside.

Earlier story:

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) -- The extraordinary manhunt for the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of three murders converged Tuesday on a mountain cabin where authorities believe he barricaded himself inside, engaged in a shootout that killed a deputy and then never emerged as the home went up in flames.

A single gunshot was heard from within, and a charred body was found inside.

If the man inside proves to be Christopher Dorner, as authorities suspect, the search for the most wanted man in America over the last week would have ended the way he had expected -- death, with the police pursuing him.

Thousands of officers had been on the hunt for the former Navy reservist since police said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing. They say he threatened to bring "warfare" to officers and their families, spreading fear and setting off a search for him across the Southwest and Mexico.

"Enough is enough. It's time for you to turn yourself in. It's time to stop the bloodshed," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said at a news conference held outside police headquarters in Los Angeles, a starkly different atmosphere than last week when officials briefed the news media under tight security with Dorner on the loose.

A short time after Smith spoke Tuesday, smoke began to rise from the cabin in the snow-covered woods near Big Bear Lake, a resort town about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. Flames then engulfed the building -- images that were broadcast on live television around the world. TV helicopters showed the fire burning freely with no apparent effort to extinguish it.

"We have reason to believe that it is him," said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman, adding that she didn't know how the fire started. She noted there was gunfire between the person in the cabin and officers around the home before the blaze began.

Until Tuesday, authorities didn't know whether Dorner was still near Big Bear Lake, where they found his burned-out pickup last week.

Around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, deputies got a report of a stolen pickup truck, authorities said. The location was directly across the street from where law enforcement set up their command post on Thursday and not far from where Dorner's pickup was abandoned. The owner of the vehicle taken Tuesday described the suspect as looking similar to Dorner.

A warden for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife traveling down Highway 38 recognized a man who fit Dorner's description traveling in the opposite direction. The officer pursued the vehicle and there was a shooting at 12:42 p.m. in which the wildlife vehicle was hit numerous times and the suspect escaped on foot after crashing his truck.

After holing up in the cabin, there was a second gunbattle with San Bernardino County deputies, two of whom were shot. One died and the other was expected to live after undergoing surgery.

"We're heartbroken," Big Bear Lake Mayor Jay Obernolte said of the deputy's death and the wounding of his colleague. "Words can't express how grateful we are for the sacrifice those men have made in defense of the community and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families."

The man believed to be Dorner never came out of the cabin, and a single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official later told the AP that a charred body was found in the burned cabin. The official requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

Officials were waiting for the fire to burn out before approaching the ruins to search for a body.

A SWAT team earlier had surrounded the cabin and using an armored vehicle, broke out the cabin windows, the official said. The officers then pumped gas into the cabin and blasted a message over a loudspeaker: "Surrender or come out."

The armored vehicle then tore down each of the cabin's four walls, like peeling back the layers of an onion, the official said.

Police say Dorner began his run on Feb. 6 after they connected the slayings of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance with an angry Facebook rant they said he posted. Threats against the LAPD led officials to assign officers to protect officers and their families.

Within hours of the release of photos of the 6-foot, 270-pounder described as armed and "extremely dangerous," police say, Dorner unsuccessfully tried to steal a boat in San Diego to flee to Mexico and opened fire on two patrol cars in Riverside County, shooting three officers and killing one.

Jumpy officers guarding one of the targets named in the rant shot and injured two women delivering newspapers Thursday in Torrance because they mistook their pickup truck for Dorner's.

Police found weapons and camping gear inside the charred truck in Big Bear. Helicopters using heat-seeking technology searched the forest from above while scores of officers, some using bloodhounds, scoured the ground and checked hundreds of vacation cabins -- many vacant this time of year -- in the area.

A snowstorm hindered the search and may have helped cover his tracks, though authorities were hopeful he would leave fresh footprints if hiding in the wilderness.

Dorner's anger with the department dated back at least five years, when he was fired for filing a false report accusing his training officer of kicking a mentally ill suspect. Dorner, who is black, claimed in the rant that he was the subject of racism by the department and fired for doing the right thing.

He said he would get even with those who wronged him as part of his plan to reclaim his good name.

"You're going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!" the rant said. "You have awoken a sleeping giant."

Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed the allegations in the rant, said reopened the investigation into his firing -- not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which long had a fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.

One of the targets listed in the manifesto was former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan, who represented Dorner before the disciplinary board. Dorner claimed he put the interests of the department above his.

The first victims were Quan's daughter, Monica Quan, 28, a college basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, 27. They were shot multiple times in their car in a parking garage near their Orange County condo.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

He left the service on Feb. 1.

Earlier story:

BIG BEAR, Calif. (AP) -- The extraordinary manhunt for the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of three murders converged Tuesday on a mountain cabin where authorities believe he barricaded himself inside, engaged in a shootout that killed a deputy and then never emerged as the home went up in flames.

A single gunshot was heard from within, and a charred body was found inside.

If the man inside proves to be Christopher Dorner, as authorities suspect, the search for the most wanted man in America over the last week would have ended the way he had expected -- death, with the police pursuing him.

Thousands of officers had been on the hunt for the former Navy reservist since police said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing. They say he threatened to bring "warfare" to officers and their families, spreading fear and setting off a search for him across the Southwest and Mexico.

"Enough is enough. It's time for you to turn yourself in. It's time to stop the bloodshed," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said at a news conference held outside police headquarters in Los Angeles, a starkly different atmosphere than last week when officials briefed the news media under tight security with Dorner on the loose.

A short time after Smith spoke Tuesday, smoke began to rise from the cabin in the snow-covered woods near Big Bear Lake, a resort town about 80 miles east of Los Angeles. Flames then engulfed the building -- images that were broadcast on live television around the world. TV helicopters showed the fire burning freely with no apparent effort to extinguish it.

"We have reason to believe that it is him," said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman, adding that she didn't know how the fire started. She noted there was gunfire between the person in the cabin and officers around the home before the blaze began.

Until Tuesday, authorities didn't know whether Dorner was still near Big Bear Lake, where they found his burned-out pickup last week.

Around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, deputies got a report of a stolen pickup truck, authorities said. The location was directly across the street from where law enforcement set up their command post on Thursday and not far from where Dorner's pickup was abandoned. The owner of the vehicle taken Tuesday described the suspect as looking similar to Dorner.

A warden for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife traveling down Highway 38 recognized a man who fit Dorner's description traveling in the opposite direction. The officer pursued the vehicle and there was a shooting at 12:42 p.m. in which the wildlife vehicle was hit numerous times and the suspect escaped on foot after crashing his truck.

After holing up in the cabin, there was a second gunbattle with San Bernardino County deputies, two of whom were shot. One died and the other was expected to live after undergoing surgery.

"We're heartbroken," Big Bear Lake Mayor Jay Obernolte said of the deputy's death and the wounding of his colleague. "Words can't express how grateful we are for the sacrifice those men have made in defense of the community and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families."

The man believed to be Dorner never came out of the cabin, and a single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official later told the AP that a charred body was found in the burned cabin. The official requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

Officials were waiting for the fire to burn out before approaching the ruins to search for a body.

Police say Dorner began his run on Feb. 6 after they connected the slayings of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance with an angry Facebook rant they said he posted. Threats against the LAPD led officials to assign officers to protect officers and their families.

Within hours of the release of photos of the 6-foot, 270-pounder described as armed and "extremely dangerous," police say, Dorner unsuccessfully tried to steal a boat in San Diego to flee to Mexico and opened fire on two patrol cars in Riverside County, shooting three officers and killing one.

Jumpy officers guarding one of the targets named in the rant shot and injured two women delivering newspapers Thursday in Torrance because they mistook their pickup truck for Dorner's.

Police found weapons and camping gear inside the charred truck in Big Bear. Helicopters using heat-seeking technology searched the forest from above while scores of officers, some using bloodhounds, scoured the ground and checked hundreds of vacation cabins -- many vacant this time of year -- in the area.

A snowstorm hindered the search and may have helped cover his tracks, though authorities were hopeful he would leave fresh footprints if hiding in the wilderness.

Dorner's anger with the department dated back at least five years, when he was fired for filing a false report accusing his training officer of kicking a mentally ill suspect. Dorner, who is black, claimed in the rant that he was the subject of racism by the department and fired for doing the right thing.

He said he would get even with those who wronged him as part of his plan to reclaim his good name.

"You're going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!" the rant said. "You have awoken a sleeping giant."

Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed the allegations in the rant, said reopened the investigation into his firing -- not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which long had a fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.

One of the targets listed in the manifesto was former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan, who represented Dorner before the disciplinary board. Dorner claimed he put the interests of the department above his.

The first victims were Quan's daughter, Monica Quan, 28, a college basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, 27. They were shot multiple times in their car in a parking garage near their Orange County condo.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

He left the service on Feb. 1.

Earlier stories from The Los Angeles Daily News:

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon confirmed this afternoon that one of two deputies shot during a gun battle in the San Bernardino Mountains has died at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

"There was an exchange of gunfire between deputies. One of the deputies was injured. Unfortunately, one of our deputies passed away as a result of his injuries," McMahon said.

McMahon said the second deputy was in surgery, but is expected to survive.

Fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, the person suspected in the shooting, is believed to have barricaded himself inside a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountain community of Seven Oaks this afternoon following the gun battle. As of 4:30 p.m., black smoke and flames could be seen coming from the cabin. An undercover officer at the scene confirmed there was no movement detected inside the structure.

Gunfire erupted in the community in the San Bernardino Mountains around 1:30 p.m. in what media representatives described as a chaotic scene. Authorities have established a command post near Highway 38 and Glass Drive.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies and FBI agents began rushing to the Big Bear Valley area after receiving a report of a person resembling Dorner stealing a vehicle in the 1200 block of Club View Drive.

"The vehicle was located at Highway 38 and Glass Road," said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller. "The suspect fled into the forest and barricaded himself inside a cabin. A short time later there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect. Sheriff's SWAT is on scene."

Miller did not confirm whether the officers who were shot were San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies. Both officers were flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment.

At a 3 p.m. press conference at the LAPD, police Commander Andrew Smith said his officers have been sent to San Bernardino International Airport to be on stand-by in case San Bernardino authorities need assistance.

"We're continuing to work our clues while the events up in the San Bernardino Mountains unfold," Smith said.

Four of seven schools in Bear Valley Unified School District were placed on lockdown as a result of the shooting, but students at three of the sites - Baldwin Lake Elementary School, Big Bear High School and Chautauqua High School - were released shortly after 2 p.m. Fallsvale Elementary School remained on lockdown, according to the district's website. The shooting also prompted the closure of Highways 18, 330 and 38, according to Caltrans. Drivers heading uphill on Highway 330 were escorted off the freeway at Highland Avenue. The closure of Highway 38 forced a group of students at Redlands East Valley High School to remain on campus.

REV principal John Maloney said between 30 and 35 students who commute from the mountain area near Angelus Oaks will remain at the school until picked up by family.

Maloney said he made an official statement over the loud speaker at around 1:30 p.m., informing the student body about the incident occurring in Big Bear.

"With high school kids, most have cell phones Facebook and usually know what is going on," Maloney said. "But we made an announcement anyway to make sure they are kept up to date."

REV students who live in that mountainous area often remain on campus because of weather-related road closures. Parents of other children came to the campus to bring food to the waiting students.

The law enforcement officers are part of the team searching for Dorner, an ex-LAPD officer who has been charged with the murder of Riverside police officer Michael Crain and is suspected of killing an Irvine couple.

Officials have focused their search on the San Bernardino Mountains since a truck believed to be Dorner's was found Thursday morning near Big Bear Lake. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said deputies received a call at 12:20 p.m. today regarding a vehicle stolen at Club View Drive in Big Bear Lake. Miller said an occupant of the vehicle resembled Dorner, but it has not been confirmed that it was him.

Police scanner reports indicated law enforcement were also investigating a report of fresh tracks near the corner of Seven Pines and Glass Road in the Big Bear Lake area. There were additional reports that shots were exchanged between a shooter and U.S. Department of Fish and Game personnel.

Andrew Hughan, state fish and game spokesman, couldn't confirm the reports.

"We've got all kinds of conflicting reports so we can't confirm anything right now," he said.

More details to come as this story develops.

Earlier story:

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon confirmed this afternoon that one of two deputies shot during a gun battle in the San Bernardino Mountains has died at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

"There was an exchange of gunfire between deputies. One of the deputies was injured. Unfortunately, one of our deputies passed away as a result of his injuries," McMahon said.

McMahon said the second deputy was in surgery, but is expected to survive.

Fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, the person suspected in the shooting, is believed to have barricaded himself inside a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountain community of Seven Oaks this afternoon following the gun battle.

Gunfire erupted in the community in the San Bernardino Mountains around 1:30 p.m. in what media representatives described as a chaotic scene. Authorities have established a command post near Highway 38 and Glass Drive.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies and FBI agents began rushing to the Big Bear Valley area after receiving a report of a person resembling Dorner stealing a vehicle in the 1200 block of Club View Drive.

"The vehicle was located at Highway 38 and Glass Road," said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller. "The suspect fled into the forest and barricaded himself inside a cabin. A short time later there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect. Sheriff's SWAT is on scene."

Miller did not confirm whether the officers who were shot were San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies. Both officers were flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment.

At a 3 p.m. press conference at the LAPD, police Commander Andrew Smith said his officers have been sent to San Bernardino International Airport to be on stand-by in case San Bernardino authorities need assistance.

"We're continuing to work our clues while the events up in the San Bernardino Mountains unfold," Smith said.

Four of seven schools in Bear Valley Unified School District were placed on lockdown as a result of the shooting, but students at three of the sites - Baldwin Lake Elementary School, Big Bear High School and Chautauqua High School - were released shortly after 2 p.m. Fallsvale Elementary School remained on lockdown, according to the district's website. The shooting also prompted the closure of Highways 18, 330 and 38, according to Caltrans. Drivers heading uphill on Highway 330 were escorted off the freeway at Highland Avenue. The closure of Highway 38 forced a group of students at Redlands East Valley High School to remain on campus.

REV principal John Maloney said between 30 and 35 students who commute from the mountain area near Angelus Oaks will remain at the school until picked up by family.

Maloney said he made an official statement over the loud speaker at around 1:30 p.m., informing the student body about the incident occurring in Big Bear.

"With high school kids, most have cell phones Facebook and usually know what is going on," Maloney said. "But we made an announcement anyway to make sure they are kept up to date."

REV students who live in that mountainous area often remain on campus because of weather-related road closures. Parents of other children came to the campus to bring food to the waiting students.

The law enforcement officers are part of the team searching for Dorner, an ex-LAPD officer who has been charged with the murder of Riverside police officer Michael Crain and is suspected of killing an Irvine couple.

Officials have focused their search on the San Bernardino Mountains since a truck believed to be Dorner's was found Thursday morning near Big Bear Lake. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said deputies received a call at 12:20 p.m. today regarding a vehicle stolen at Club View Drive in Big Bear Lake. Miller said an occupant of the vehicle resembled Dorner, but it has not been confirmed that it was him.

Police scanner reports indicated law enforcement were also investigating a report of fresh tracks near the corner of Seven Pines and Glass Road in the Big Bear Lake area. There were additional reports that shots were exchanged between a shooter and U.S. Department of Fish and Game personnel.

Andrew Hughan, state fish and game spokesman, couldn't confirm the reports.

"We've got all kinds of conflicting reports so we can't confirm anything right now," he said.

More details to come as this story develops.

Earlier story:

Fugitive ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner has barricaded himself inside a cabin in the Angelus Oaks area this afternoon following a gun battle between authorities that left two law enforcement officers wounded.

Gunfire erupted in the community in the San Bernardino Mountains around 1:30 p.m. in what media representatives described as a chaotic scene. Authorities have established a command post near Highway 38 and Glass Drive.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies and FBI agents began rushing to the Big Bear Valley area after receiving a report of a person resembling Dorner stealing a vehicle in the 1200 block of Club View Drive.

"The vehicle was located at Highway 38 and Glass Road," said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller. "The suspect fled into the forest and barricaded himself inside a cabin. A short time later there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect. Sheriff's SWAT is on scene."

Miller did not confirm whether the officers who were shot were San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies. Both officers were flown to an area hospital. Their conditions were not known.

At a 6 p.m. EST press conference at the LAPD, police Commander Andrew Smith said his officers have been sent to San Bernardino International Airport to be on stand-by in case San Bernardino authorities need assistance.

"We're continuing to work our clues while the events up in the San Bernardino Mountains unfold," Smith said.

Four of seven schools in Bear Valley Unified School District are on lockdown as a result of the shooting. The shooting also prompted numerous road closures. Drivers heading uphill on Highway 330 were escorted off the freeway at Highland Avenue. The closure of Highway 38 forced a group of students at Redlands East Valley High School to remain on campus.

REV principal John Maloney said between 30 and 35 students who commute from the mountain area near Angelus Oaks will remain at the school until picked up by family.

Maloney said he made an official statement over the loud speaker at around 1:30 p.m., informing the student body about the incident occurring in Big Bear.

"With high school kids, most have cell phones Facebook and usually know what is going on," Maloney said. "But we made an announcement anyway to make sure they are kept up to date."

REV students who live in that mountainous area often remain on campus because of weather-related road closures.

The law enforcement officers are part of the team searching for Dorner, an ex-LAPD officer who has been charged with the murder of Riverside police officer Michael Crain and is suspected of killing an Irvine couple.

Officials have focused their search on the San Bernardino Mountains since a truck believed to be Dorner's was found Thursday morning near Big Bear Lake. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said deputies received a call at 12:20 p.m. today regarding a vehicle stolen at Club View Drive in Big Bear Lake. Miller said an occupant of the vehicle resembled Dorner, but it has not been confirmed that it was him.

Police scanner reports indicated law enforcement were also investigating a report of fresh tracks near the corner of Seven Pines and Glass Road in the Big Bear Lake area. There were additional reports that shots were exchanged between a shooter and U.S. Department of Fish and Game personnel.

Andrew Hughan, state fish and game spokesman, couldn't confirm the reports.

"We've got all kinds of conflicting reports so we can't confirm anything right now," he said.

More details to come as this story develops.

Earlier story:

Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with a suspect and two deputies were wounded in the Angelus Oaks area this afternoon following reports that fugitive Christopher Dorner may have stolen a truck in the area.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies and FBI agents began rushing to the Big Bear Valley area after searching a cabin in the Arrowbear area.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., police scanner traffic indicated that two officers had been shot in the gun battle. Media personnel in the area have reported hearing numerous shots fired in what has become a chaotic scene. Authorities have established a command post near Highway 38 and Glass Drive and SWAT officers have headed into the woods in search of Dorner.

Four of seven schools in Bear Valley Unified School District are on lockdown as a result of the shooting. The shooting also prompted numerous road closures. Drivers heading uphill on Highway 330 were escorted off the freeway at Highland Avenue.

The law enforcement officers are part of the team searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner, an ex-LAPD officer who has been charged with the murder of Riverside police officer Michael Crain and is suspected of killing an Irvine couple.

Officials have focused their search on the San Bernardino Mountains since a truck believed to be Dorner's was found Thursday morning near Big Bear Lake. San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said deputies received a call at 12:20

p.m. today regarding a vehicle stolen at Club View Drive in Big Bear Lake. Miller said an occupant of the vehicle resembled Dorner, but it has not been confirmed that it was him.

Police scanner reports indicate law enforcement were also investigating a report of fresh tracks near the corner of Seven Pines and Glass Road in the Big Bear Lake area. There were additional reports that shots were exchanged between a shooter and U.S. Department of Fish and Game personnel.

Andrew Hughan, state fish and game spokesman, couldn't confirm the reports.

"We've got all kinds of conflicting reports so we can't confirm anything right now," he said.